For one, there are no stores listed. The provided "address" isn't even complete. It is a generic city and ZIP code: Somerset, NJ 08873. The absence of identifying information points to the reality: HHGregg's website is an e-commerce zombie, feeding off of whatever customer loyalty remains.

Despite declarations of a "grand reopening" Nov. 14 (complete with the social media hashtag #HHGreggIsBack), HHGregg did not return from bankruptcy to sell you a refrigerator or laptop. The company that was founded in 1955 and shuttered earlier this year will never return.

As I previously wrote, a New Jersey company called Valor LLC acquired HHGregg's intellectual property for $400,000 in June. That gives Valor the right to use the HHGregg name, logo and other assets. It also gives Valor access to contact information for millions of former HHGregg customers, email subscribers and social media followers.

When Valor relaunched the HHGregg site in August, it had little resemblance to the former Indianapolis company's branding. The website included a simple splash page with a single item for sale, marketed as a deal of the day.

Buy Photo

Shoppers looking for bargains walk by the "going out of business signs" hung at the entrance of the HHGregg store at 8921 S. US 31, at the corner of US 31 and County Line Road, on the south side of Indianapolis. (Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

But, in recent days, Valor has put in place a website that gives the appearance that the old HHGregg is back in business. Based on the company's marketing of a "grand reopening," that seems to be the point.

Efforts to reach officials associated with Valor were unsuccessful. One man affiliated with Valor, who answered a phone call but did not identify himself, said I'd have to talk to someone else, but did not provide any alternative contact information.

Brett Rose, the CEO of United National Consumer Suppliers, a wholesale distributor of overstock goods for national chains, said it's pretty clear what Valor is up to. The company is using HHGregg's leftover marketing reach to sell electronics and appliances.

"I don't necessarily agree with it," Rose said. "It's quasi-smoke and mirrors, but what they're trying to do is take existing products (stored in New Jersey) and bank on whatever consumer confidence is left in HHGregg."

The Indianapolis Business Journal previously reported that an affiliate called F&E Trading LLC has an 83,000-square-foot warehouse in Somerset that is being used for the e-commerce operation.

There's not necessarily a risk to consumers who buy products through the HHGregg website, Rose said. Valor seems to be fulfilling orders that are being placed and consumer credit cards protect people from fraud.

"If somebody wants to go on HHGregg and buy a refrigerator or some kind of electronics item, I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with it," Rose said.

Perhaps the worst part for some consumers is the false hope that a rebooted HHGregg website offers. When the company filed for bankruptcy and closed all of its stores earlier this year, many customers were caught in limbo with malfunctioning products or orders that were not correctly shipped. Some customers had no recourse after HHGregg went out of business.

Customers who purchased products from HHGregg within the past year can contact the manufacturer, which should cover defects. For those who purchased an extended warranty through HHGregg, it is served through a company called Warrantech, which can be reached at (800) 446-9134.

One distinction Valor is making from the old HHGregg website is that it is not responsible for problems that HHGregg's customers are having with past purchases.

"HHGregg is under new ownership as of August 2017 and we do not have records of previous orders, employees, or credit of any kind," the website now states.

The message is clear: If you're looking to spend money, HHGregg is back. But, if you need a problem solved, the HHGregg you remember is gone for good.

Call IndyStar business columnist James Briggs at (317) 444-6307. Follow him on Twitter: @JamesEBriggs.